Cat Nap? Cat Nightmare!
by DandilionCutie
Summary: Deliylah Hayes had a mysterious past, and everybody in Lior knew it. But when the Fullmetal Alchemist comes to town, everything is flipped upside down. When her place in the town is uprooted, Deliylah begins following and helping Edward in his quest for their bodies. Perhaps her past isn't as mysterious as she meant it to be after all... (Contains OC shipping with canon characters)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everyone, just a little writers note before you begin~**

**This is an FMA fanfic based in the Brotherhood/Manga universe with an OC insert (as you may have guessed), using my OC Deliylah Hayes. You don't know much about her right now, but I promise you'll find out a lot about her later on~ I'm also inserting another OC later on when she gets there, so sit tight.  
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****There isn't much in the way of swearing or anything like that, but I rated it K+ just in case.****

**Thanks for starting, and be sure to give me a review if you like it (Or if you don't, either way.) Enjoy!  
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><p>Like any other day in the midst of Lior, Deliylah Hayes could hear people complaining about the heat sweeping through the town. Not that this day was a day like any other day, but at first it sure did feel like one to the young girl.<p>

"It's too hot here! Who's idea was it to build a town so far South anyway," some tourist yelled to his friend. Deliylah chuckled. Having spent her whole life in the Southern region of Amestris meant that she was used to the heat. The places she had lived didn't exactly have a great way of cooling down.

An empty bucket swung at her side. Despite not being a Letoist, she found a few extra cents find their way into her pocket if she offered to clean their altar every once in a while.

Father Cornello's daily sermon could be heard ahead as she approached a shop known for its nice meals. Nothing fancy, but if you didn't see very much money in your wallet then the curbside restaurant was the place to go. The man who ran the place was one of the very few people who knew just where Deliylah came from.

"So, what are you guys, street performers or something," the man asked a young blonde boy in a red coat. Deliylah silently wondered what such a small kid was doing with such a large man dressed in armor, but she decided that it really wasn't her business to pry into other peoples lives like that.

The next thing she heard was the young kid choke on his drink. "Seriously? Do we look like street performers to you?"

"Yeah, thats why I asked. Hey, Deliylah, need some soap for Leto's altar?" The shopkeeper had turned to her, the bottle already in his hand.

"Yes, please," she answered. "And if it isn't too much trouble, a cup of tea would be nice~"

A second later a cup and a bottle of soap were in front of her. "Sure thing, ki- HEY, WATCH IT! I DIDN'T MEAN NOTHING BY IT!" Deliylah flinched when the radio which had previously been spouting 'Leto's word' came to the ground with a painfully loud crash, shattering to pieces.

'Looks like somebody is about to pay for a radio,' she thought to herself, sipping at her tea. Radio's weren't cheap.

Her cup hovered between her lips and the counter as the unknown boy spoke next. "Ah, don't worry, we'll fix it."

"How're you gonna do that, it's smashed to hell!"

"Watch and learn, gramps."

Deliylah knew of very few ways a radio could be fixed, and she didn't like the biggest possibility. Sure enough, the large suit of armor took out a piece of simple white chalk and drew a very familiar and unwelcome circle around the broken pieces of what used to be a radio. A moment and a flash of light later the radio was back in one piece, and from it Father Cornello's voice could be heard. Deliylah took a deep breath and placed her teacup back at her lips. One simple act of alchemy was nothing-

"Then maybe you know us! We're the Elric brothers!"

"Oh, yeah, I know you! You're the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric!"

SMASH.

Deliylah gasped as warm tea splashed onto her ankles. Her hands shook as she scrambled to grab the pieces of the now shattered teacup that had slipped from her gloved fingers. With a name like that it could mean one thing. Simple alchemy was one thing, but Deliylah had felt almost nothing but misery because of state alchemists. They may have saved her life, but they also ruined it.

"I-I'm sorry, I'll clean it up right away… I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was doing…," she stuttered. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the blonde boy grappling with several terrified men. When had a fight broken out? It the midst of the chaos she could hear the boy who had been calm a moment earlier screeching something about 'not calling him short.' The armored one, on the other hand, had heard the cup smash and was now leaning over to help her.

"Are you alright, miss?" His voice sounded much higher than what she had been expecting. It almost sounded like a child was in the armor instead of what she assumed to be a full grown man.

"I-I'm fine. I'm sorry about the cup, you can add it to my tab… I-I need to go, I'm sorry, I'll pay later!" She snatched the bucket and soap and turned to race off to the church, but before she could take two steps she reared back. She had come an inch away from colliding straight into a young woman only a few years older than herself, who was 17, Rose Thomas.

"My, things sure seem lively today, huh? Oh, hey Deliylah, I didn't see you there. You alright?"

"Uh, yes, I'm fine, thank you, Rose. A-Are you coming to the church later?"

"Yes, I am. You know, with how much you clean the altar you should consider-"

Deliylah cut her off, knowing full well what she was about to say. "I know you mean well, Rose, but people of my religion don't give it up that easily, especially to somebody like the 'Sun God Leto.'" She shifted the weight of the bucket in her hands and quickly bid Rose goodbye with a nod of her head and rushed off in the direction of the church, wanting to get away from the stranger alchemists as soon as she could.

When she had gained a few blocks between herself and she shop, she allowed herself to slow down a bit. Moving the metal bucket into one hand, she subconsciously combed her bangs over her eye, making sure it was covering any brown skin on the half of her face that had retained it's pigment. She stopped in a window to make sure that her face really was hidden before walked back out in the open.

Several minutes later she had managed to catch her breath and had made it through the front doors of the church of Leto. After filling the bucket with room temperature water and grabbing a clean rag, she began to do her job, scrubbing wax and dust from the altar in front of the large statue depicting the Great Sun God Leto. However, not three minutes later she heard the door open and turned to see familiar pink bangs heading her way.

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><p><strong>Next Chapter will have a bit more of Deliylah's emotions towards alchemists. I think her big secret is going to be saved for Chapter 3, but don't worry, it's on it's way~<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back~! There isn't any action here, but there is a bit of yelling. Just a taste. Enjoy~!**

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><p>"Hi, Rose!"<p>

"Hey, Deliylah! Are you ok? You seemed a little stressed out back at the shop."

"… I saw a state alchemist."

"Oh, dear! They didn't do anything to hurt you, did they?"

Deliylah shook her head. "No, I don't think they knew. In fact, come to think of it I don't think they were old enough to have even been involved in that war…" Her words trailed off as her mind drifted into old memories of her homeland. Lior was similar to the rolling dusty hills in a way that is was quite dry, although not entirely fruitless. Like her old lands, Lior had given way to strong religious beliefs, and ever since she had wandered in a few years ago, Rose and the others were constantly trying to convert her.

A small cough caught her attention. "Ah, sorry Rose, was there something you needed?"

"Not really. I was just going to pray for a minute, if that's alright."

"Of course, I'll try not to distract you." Deliylah knew exactly what Rose was praying for, and although she knew even Cornello could never bring the dead back to life, she recognized the hope the obviously fake religion brought to the town, so she kept her mouth shut.

She instead resumed her work in cleaning the altar as Rose got on her knees in front of it and clasped her hands together. Deliylah could hear faint murmurs saying "Please bring him back, please bring my darling back…" A fresh wave of pity washed through her. She had known Rose's boyfriend, although not very well, and knew that he was a kind and gentle soul who was generous and hardworking. That dedication was, unfortunately, the causation of his passing in the accident last year. It had left Rose with nothing but her own grief. Until of course Cornello showed up and-

Deliylah stopped mid thought as the doors once again creaked open. Rose still sat kneeling on the floor deep in her prayers, unaware of the newcomers, but when Deliylah turned to see who had come to visit, her heart skipped a beat and she almost knocked over her bucket of soapy water.

The same alchemists from before, the young blonde boy and the large man donning a suit of armor, were walking up the aisle on their way to the altar, looking around at the high ceiling and tall pillars and eventually the large statue. "So, this is the great god Leto, huh?"

Deliylah turned back to the altar, scrubbing as a particularly tough piece of wax stuck to the stone. 'If I pretend they aren't there, they'll go away.' She repeatedly thought to herself.

"Oh, hello. Are you interested in Letoism?"

"Can't say I am. I'm not really the religious type."

'No, alchemists never are, are they...' She kept thinking to herself.

Rose sighed. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that. To know God is to know hope. We believe in divine grace, and through him all things are possible If you had faith… I'm sure Leto would bless you and make you grow taller!"

At this Deliylah looked up. "Rose, please," she murmured quietly.

Rose's words seemed to have made him about as angry as he was been at the shop. Apparently he didn't like being called small. Deliylah could only have guessed that the customers there had called him something along the lines of tiny.

He let out an angry huff and sat down on one of the wooden pews. "And what about bringing the dead back to life? Do you believe he can do that, too?"

Rose paused a moment before answering. "Yes, I do."

Deliylah sighed softly. Even she knew that the dead would never come back to life. And apparently he knew that too, because the next thing he did was take out a book and begin reading out loud, reciting a list of complicated chemicals. When he finished he snapped the book shut.

"That's the entire chemical makeup of the human body. It's been calculated and recalculated down to the last micro-gram, and still there's never been a single successful case of human transmutation. You're saying something modern science can't do you can do with prayer?" He finished his question with a hint of anger in his voice, looking up and staring Rose right in the eyes. He seemed genuinely disturbed that she would even think such a thing.

"Lift thy voice to god, and the prayers of the faithful shall be answered!" She retorted by preaching Leto's word. Deliylah rolled her eyes just out of view and turned back to the altar.

What he said next, however, made her freeze. "Did I mention all those ingredients I read off, down at the market a kid could buy every one of them with the spare change in his pocket. If you consider that, humans are pretty cheap~" Deliylahs hands twisted the rag in annoyance. How insulting!

And apparently Rose thought so too. "What blasphemy... People, where all all children of God, created in his image!"

He chuckled. "You have to understand, alchemists are scientists, we don't believe in unprovable concepts like Creators or Gods. We observe in the physical laws that govern this world, and try to learn the truth. It's ironic really, but through the application of science we've be given the power to play god's ourselves." At those words Deliylah whirled around, a look of sheer shock donning her face.

"So you're putting yourself on the same level as god? That's just… sheer arrogance!"

He looked at his feet, a sad grin on his lips. "You know, there's an old saying about a hero on wings out of wax. He thought he could touch the sun, but when he got too close, his wings melted and he came crashing back down to Earth. Right Al?" He glanced at the man in the suit of armor, who nodded softly.

By that time Deliylah had practically grown livid with his talk about being on the same plane as God. She threw down her rag and stormed up to him. "If you're so full of yourself, why don't you alchemists use your 'godly powers' for something good for a change!"

"Wha-"

"Deliylah…" Rose murmured softly. She had told her all about the atrocities the state alchemists had performed in Ishval, although she never really told her about what Ishvalans thought about alchemy. She didn't want to ruin a part of the world for Rose like that.

"Alchemists are supposed to be for the people, but from what I've seen you've done nothing but bring war and suffering! My whole childhood I respected alchemists, and then you betrayed us! You talk about being gods but you're nothing but a bunch of devils who use and abuse your power for your own selfish needs!" Deliylah clenched her fists in anger, but her rage was starting to burn off. She began to feel guilty for shouting, and she hung her head, turning and picking up the bucket she wasn't aware she had kicked over with shaking hands.

She expected the alchemist to argue, but he kept his silence. Instead he sat for a few moments staring at her in confusion, then gathered himself and stood up rather suddenly. "I'm sorry to ask this of you, but do you think your Father Cornello could save even an arrogant scientist like me?"

Rose clasped her hands together in joy. "Of course, that's wonderful! If anybody can lead you to the creators light, he can!" Her anger at his arrogance was gone, replaced with happiness at his 'change of heart.'

'I doubt he's seeing Father for guidance to God.'

"Deliylah, you should come too, maybe you'll change your mind!" Deliylah sighed.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to join you. I don't have anything else to do, and my job here is done…"

After the brothers put in their request to see the Father, they sat outside the meeting hall, waiting for him to either accept or deny. Meanwhile, the armored man found a moment to talk to Deliylah.

"I'm sorry about my brother, he can get really rude sometimes. You're the girl who dropped her cup at the restaurant right?" Deliylah nodded. "I thought so… if you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened to you to make you hate alchemy so much?"

"Actually, no offense but… I kind of do mind."

"Oh, sorry…"

Deliylah sighed. "It's fine, I just… if word got out to the military about it, I'd be dead for sure."

"Huh?"

"...nevermind."

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><p><strong>Big revealing next time~! Well, one of a few anyway. It goes from anime to mange when Cray attacks the brothers, so in case you're confused that's why. Sorry, this chapter may have been a bit boring, but I'll hopefully have a better one next chapter~<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this took a while, I got a bit blocked near the end. But it's here now, so don't worry! Also, congrats to the Guest who left a review, you were right~! Finally, the big revealing about who she is~ Enjoy~!**

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><p>After about 10 minutes, Brother Cray came out and announced that Father was ready to see them. "His Holiness is very busy, so it's not easy to get an audience with him. You two are very lucky."<p>

"I'll try not to talk for too long." Edward seemed chipper enough. However, a chill ran up Deliylah's spine, like something was about to go wrong.

"Then lets end it right away, like this!" Suddenly Brother Cray took out a gun, a small revolver, and pointed it directly at Alphonse's head. Deliylah cried out to warn him, but her words were drowned out by the sound of a bullet hitting metal and the ringing of a helmet hitting the stone floor. Two men blocked off Edwards path with their staffs.

Deliylah grabbed onto Rose's elbow, recoiling at the painfully loud noise. Rose turned to Cray in shock. "Brother Cray, what are you doing?"

"Rose, these heathens were trying to entrap his Holiness. They're evil."

"What?! But his Holiness would never let you do this… let you..."

"But he did allow it! The word of his Holiness are the words of God. This is the will of God!" He finished his sentence by aiming his gun at Edward.

He couldn't fire, however, because his aim was blocked by an armored hand. "I guess there are really some bad God's out there."

Deliylah and Rose froze in terror. Alphonse's head had been blown clean off and yet he still stood, and what's more, he seemed to have no body whatsoever!

Fists and bodies flew, and by the end of it Brother Cray and the two guardsmen who had gone after Edward were sprawled on the floor, out like a light.

Rose began shaking, pointing a trembling finger at Alphonse's empty body. "Wh-Wha-What's- h-he's empty!"

"Nothing special."

"It's just what it looks like." Alphonse leaned over, revealing a completely empty suit of armor with what looked like an alchemic rune drawn in some sort of red paint. A few seconds of staring and Deliylah realized that it wasn't paint, it was blood.

"Th-There's nothing inside! How-?"

"...this is what happens when you commit the greatest sin… when you trespass in God's domain… my brother and I..."

"Edward, you too?" He was facing away from the two girls, but Deliylah could tell that he wasn't very comfortable with the topic.

"Well, lets just save that story for another time… anyway, I guess your God showed his true colors."

Rose looked around at the beaten men around her. "No, there has to be some kind of mistake!" Edward let out an annoyed grunt and mumbled something under his breath.

"What about you, Deliylah? What do you think about 'his phoniness?'" Deliylah kept silent for a moment.

"I-I'm not sure what to think. I won't say that this isn't Father Cornello's doing, but if Brother Cray was doing this on his own then it would be insulting to even try to accuse the Father of attempting to kill you. I think we need to see the Father himself."

"But Deliylah, there's just no way that Father Cornello would do something like this!"

Edward sighed. "Rose, do you have the courage to face the truth?"

A few minutes later Rose and Deliylah had managed to stuff themselves into the empty torso of Al's armor. Although it was efficient when it came to spying, it wasn't top notch in comfort. Deliylah banged her head on either the metal wall of Al's chest or on Rose's own forehead.

She heard doors creak open, and then the faint sound of Cornello's voice greeting the brothers from what was probably the second level in the large meeting hall.

"Welcome to the great church of Leto. Have you come to hear me preach?"

"Yeah, by all means, teach us, like how you use your lame alchemy to deceive your followers!"

"Well, I have no idea what you are talking about. Please to do not confuse my miracles with alchemy. If you saw for yourself you'd believe-"

"Yeah, I've seen it alright. And I couldn't understand how you're able to do transmutation that goes against the laws."

"As I said, it isn't alchemy-"

"Then it came to me. The Philosophers Stone. That's how you do it, right? Like maybe… just maybe… it's that ring?"

There was a pause before Cornello's tone changed from friendly to somewhat malicious. "Heh, the government gets their money's worth you of you, don't they? I guess you saw through the whole thing. Correct!" Rose let out the tiniest gasp, and Deliylah placed a finger to her lips. If they wanted more information, they needed to keep quiet. "The Philosophers Stone, the legendary catalyst, the amplifier of all alchemical process. With this, I can conjure at the minimum price with the maximum result."

"How I've searched for that…" The envy in Edwards voice concerned Deliylah. Exactly how long had he been looking for it?

"Ha! What's with the jealous look in your eyes? What would you want the Stone for? Money? Honor?"

"And what about you? What do you get out of founding this phony religion? If it's money you want you can make as much as you want with the Stone."

"It isn't about the money… well, I do what that, but I can get as much of that as I need in the form of donations from my flock. What I really need are followers who will happily give their lives for me."

Now Deliylah was the one to gasp. Luckily Alphonse let out the tiniest gasp of his own, so hers was somewhat covered.

"Think about it! An invincible army of fanatics with no fear of death! Soon I'll have more than enough people! Just watch, within a few years time this entire nation will be mine!" He began laughing maniacally. From what Deliylah could see in the low light, Rose's eyes were wide with dismay.

Edward however, seemed bored. "Well, fine, but I don't really care about that, let's move on." He muttered just loud enough for everybody in the room to hear.

"What?! Don't belittle my ambition by saying that you 'don't care!' You'd better care! You're a member of the military, after all!"

"You know, to be honest, I really couldn't care what happens to my country or the military. I'll be blunt. Give me the Philosophers Stone! If you do that I'll stay quiet about the scan you've been pulling on everybody."

"Hmph, are you trying to bargain with me? My followers would never believe the words of an outsider like you! The people of this town love me! They think that my words come from God! Those idiots will believe anything I tell them! I've completely fooled them!"

Ed clapped his hands together. "Wow! You are smart! Thanks for telling us how you do it."

"You're right, they won't believe a word I say, but…" Deliylah heard the straps keeping Al's chestplate in place snap apart. "But what about their words?"

Light flooded the cavity where Deliylah and Rose had stuffed themselves. Both looked out into the hall and locked eyes with Father Cornello. "R-Rose?! Deliylah?! What is the meaning of this?!"

Rose jerked herself out of Al's body, accidentally shoving Deliylah aside roughly. "Father! Is what you said just now true? Were you fooling us this whole time? Your miracles aren't real? The power of God can't grant my wish? You can't bring my darling back again?!"

Deliylah managed to clamber out of the armor a little more carefully, apologizing to Alphonse.

Father Cornello gave Rose a suspicious look. "Hm… It's true that I am not god's emissary, but with the power of the Philosophers Stone, I can do what other alchemists cannot. Rose, I will resurrect him! I am the only one who can grant you your wish. Remember your beloved! Be a good girl and come here, both of you." He motioned towards both Rose and Deliylah.

Al shouted a warning to her, which Ed finished. "If you go, you can never turn back!" Even Deliylah protested.

Despite their objections, however, Rose obediently walked over and stood by the Fathers side. "I'm sorry… but this is the only thing I can do."

Father Cornello smiled in satisfaction. "Good child… you two Deliylah, come here my young one. You may not follow the ways of Leto, but you are still one of us."

Deliylah, however, remained firmly still. "I am not. I've heard enough, Father. Letoism is fake, just as I thought."

"Just as the military thought that your religion was fake?"

Deliylah glared at the Father, rage beginning to boil. "Don't you dare…" If he dared to say the name out loud, especially in front of a State Alchemist, it would be all over.

He grinned. "After they wiped out your people in that once great nation, after they sent alchemists to take your holy land away from you, you came fleeing to Lior, and I took you in. You owe me a debt, Ishvalan." She flinched. Now he'd done it.

Edward glanced her way. "What did he just say?"

She sighed and closed her eyes, then slowly pulled her bangs away from her face like a curtain, revealing the brown skin that she hid behind it. "I may not look it, Edward… but I was born, raised, and nearly killed in the land of Ishval. That's why I don't like alchemy, and why I hate State Alchemists. The slaughtered my people and obliterated my homeland. And when they took me in with my strange skin not seen in other Ishvalans, after promising me safety and a home, they threw me aside, just another dirty Ishvalan girl. I managed to hide myself my dying my hair and covering what little brown skin I had left with clothing and makeup." She opened her eyes and looked directing into Edwards golden ones. He gasped lightly when confronted with the vibrant red iris of her right eye.

"But… if you're Ishvalan, how come you have white skin?" Edward asked, partially curious and partially wary.

"Brother!" Al cried out, warning Edward not to delve too deep into her past, but Deliylah shook her head.

"It's alright, Alphonse. I was born with a very rare skin condition that destroys the pigment in my skin and left eye. I was an outcast for many years amongst my people because I looked like the 'Amestrian dogs' who had betrayed us. My own parents nearly threw me out because they thought I was cursed. How ironic that I was the only one of my village to survive the genocide." She chuckled softly, although not finding what she had said remotely funny.

"Enough of this chatter. Deliylah, come here at once!" Father Cornello interrupted.

"I said no! You can take your phony god and do whatever you want, I'm not going to obey you any longer! I've had enough of lies and deceit!" She yelled back.

"... fine. Then you can be purged along with the rest of the heretics that stand before me." He reached back and pulled a lever. "And I believe my chimera is up to the task." Deliylah turned to see a large, ferocious creature come from the shadows. From what she could see, he had mixed a lion, and some sort of reptile or bird to create a deadly chimera.

"So that's the sort of thing you do with the Philosophers Stone? That's just twisted." Ed sighed. "Well, I guess I'm gonna need a weapon." He clapped his hands together and crouched towards the ground. Blue light from the transmutation lit up the room like a lightning storm. What surprised Deliylah the most was the lack of a transmutation circle. She hadn't seen one on Edwards gloves, and if they were tattooed onto his hands he would had to have to removed his gloves first. From his hands a ornate spear was molded out of the stone of the floor, which he branded with skill.

Cornello gasped. "No transmutation circle? So the State Alchemist title isn't just for show, you truly are gifted! However…" The chimera charged forward, striking with one clawed paw. The spear instantly shattered like glass, and both Rose and Deliylah cried out. "Your little spear is no match for chimera claws that can tear through iron!"

Deliylah expected Edward to hit the ground screaming in pain and covered in blood, but instead a wide grin spread across his face. "He shredded my pants~!" The chimera whined when the claws on the paw it used to strike then broke off in a rather comedic fashion. Ed's foot them came up and clipped the chimeras jaw, sending it flying. The light from lamps around the room glinted off metal, and Deliylah gasped when she realized that Edwards leg wasn't flesh, it was prosthetic. "I guess those claws don't work so well against steel!"

"Bite him, you stupid beast!" Cornello ordered the chimera, and it once again threw himself at Edward, wrapping his jaws around the arm he threw up to protect himself. The chimera chewed for a few moments before whining in confusion. Its teeth were doing nothing.

"You like that, kitty? Go on, get a good _taste_!" His leg once again came up and struck the chimera, crushing its jaw and knocking it to the ground and effectively killing it with the sheer force of the blow.

Pieces of fabric flew every which way. One of Ed's gloves had been shredded by the chimeras remaining claws, and Deliylah could faintly make out bolts and metal plates where knuckles and fingers should have been. He gripped at the torn coat and shirt and began pulling, filling the room with the sounds of tearing material.

"Look at me, Rose. This is what happens to people who "play God" or whatever you want to call it. Take a good look Rose. Is this what you want?" All the playfulness had left Edwards voice. Now Deliylah could only hear pure humorless warning. Rose's hands flew to her mouth.

The remains of what had once been Edwards red coat slipped from metal fingers and fell to the floor. An automail arm extended all the way to his shoulder where scars spread across his chest. "Automail… full steel prosthetics… "Fullmetal", I see, so that's why… that's why a brat like you is called the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

"Come down here and face me, you third-rate fraud! I'll show you there's no comparison between us!" He held up his arm menacingly, as if it was going to fly off and punch Cornello straight in the face.

Cornello, however, grinned at the sight. "I see, it's all becoming clear now. You did it, didn't you? The one thing even the most novice alchemist knows is strictly forbidden! Rose, this is the price of their sin. These fools attempted human transmutation, the greatest taboo for any alchemist. In their arrogance, they tried to bring someone dead back to life!"

As these words left Cornellos mouth, Deliylah could see Rose's eyes grow wider and wider with realization. If bringing somebody back from the dead was forbidden by alchemical law, then how was Cornello supposed to bring Rose's boyfriend back from Gods arms?

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><p><strong>To anybody confused, Deliylah is an Ishvalan with a skin condition know today as Vitiligo. It destroys the pigment in some of her skin, and allows her to, with some work, hide in plain sight. She dyes her hair a normal shade of brown (because a 17 year old girl with white hair is kind of a giveaway), wears very covering clothes, covers half her face with hair and whatever she can't cover with makeup.<strong>

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I have about 16 of the chapters spanning over about 6 volumes planned out, so I should be writing a lot soon~ This chapter was a bit longer than the others, but super fun/kinda difficult to write. Writing alongside the manga was tough, especially if I didn't have the physical book right in front of me. Anyway, see you next chapter~!**

**PS, Another OC is gonna be introduced at the end of next one, so get ready~**


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey, welcome back~! Sorry about the wait, it was midterm week and I didn't have much time to write. But it's here now, so enjoy~!_

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><p>Alphonse's voice took Deliylah by surprise. She had almost forgotten that he was behind her. She jumped a bit, taking a step forward in Ed's direction. "We never had any doubts about doing it. Our mother was so kind, the kindest person in the world. All we wanted to just to see our mother's smile again. Even if it meant breaking the laws of alchemy. That was the only reason we were studying it, after all. But the resurrection failed. When it failed, my brother lost his left leg, and I had my whole body taken. I lost consciousness for a while. The next thing I saw when I opened my eyes was this armor body and a sea of blood." Deliylah swallowed to stop herself from retching at the thought. "Even after the horrible injury if losing his left leg, my older brother exchanged his right arm for my soul, putting it in this suit of armor."<p>

Then Ed spoke. "Heh, the two of us tried to resurrect one person, and this is what happened. This is what it takes to raise the dead, Rose. Are you ready to make that sacrifice!?

"Keh, so this is the great Fullmetal Alchemist. Not even half a man. Hell, not even half a boy!"

The statement enraged Ed. "And what are you?! Just a phony who can't do anything without a Philosophers Stone!"

"Please, Father, we just want you to hand over the Stone before anybody else gets hurt."

"Don't be absurd! Why, so you can use it for yourselves? Please, if you fools are really so eager to play God, then perhaps I should send you to meet him, instead!" He brought the lower half of his his cane up and gripped it tightly as if somebody was about to take it away from him.

Then bright red light sparked from his ring and the cane turned into a very large and very deadly looking machine gun. He aimed at Edward and opened fire. Unfortunately for her, Deliylah happened to be standing directly behind him.

Edward glanced back at her sharply and then quickly crouched to the ground. With bullets incoming, she did the same, and a moment later found herself in the shadow of a wall that Ed had transmuted in front of them. "Nah, you see, me and God don't get along too well. Even if I went, he'd probably just send me right back here~" His voice was dripping with both sarcasm and amusement.

Next, Cornello turned his eyes to Alphonse, who had picked up Rose was was starting to make his way to the exit. Cornello let loose a shower of bullets, which either missed or ricocheted off Al's armor back. Even though she was protected, Rose let out a scream and curled up in Al's arms.

"This way," Ed hollered to the three of them.

"The doors rigged, only Cornello can open it!"

"Oh really? Well, as I always say, if you can't find a door, make one instead!" A moment and a transmutation later a large, ornate door made with rather bad taste swung open. Deliylah raced behind Ed and Al as fast as her skirt would let her. Behind them she could hear Cornello ordering the Brothers to chase them, and she ran a little faster.

Down the way they were going, however, was just as bad as the way back. A group of Brothers stood at the end of the hall, each of them trained in basic martial arts and each of them brandishing staffs. The men smirked when they saw how tiny Ed was.

"That's far enough~" One said.

"What are you gonna do, little runt, you're unarmed an outnumbered." Another one said.

"Look, just come quietly, we don't want to rough you up, kid."

That didn't phase Edward. He simply performed a transmutation on his arm and turned it into a very sharp blade. The next moment the men were scrambling over each other to get out of the way. Alphonse, still carrying Rose in his arms rushed past, apologizing after kicking a man dead in the face.

With the Brothers behind them, Ed, Al, Rose, and Deliylah all raced down the hall and out of the church. When passing one room, Ed stopped and backtracked. "Huh? What's this?"

Al finally put Rose down, and after readjusting her skirt, she answered him. "The broadcasting room. This is where Father Cornello delivers his sermons over the radio."

"Oh really~?" Ed smirked, putting a hand to his chin. Deliylah could almost see gears turning in his head. Al sighed. "Al, I have an idea~ If I can lure "His Phoniness" in here, I might be able to get him to talk. If you transmute the big bell from the tower into a broadcaster, we can reveal it all to the whole town."

"But we already know, can't we just tell them? Like you said, they won't listen to you, but Rose is a member of the church and I'm pretty well known in the community," Deliylah piped up. However, Edward shook his head.

"I don't think one misguided follower and an Ishvalan who scrubs the altar are gonna do much. But if Cornello _himself_ says so, then they'll have no choice but to believe," Ed explained.

Deliylah nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. Is there anything I can do?"

"If you go with Al, you and Rose can lead him up to the belltower."

"Alright," she said, surprising herself with her own confidence. Perhaps she had been wanting to expose his falsehood for longer than she had thought. She led the armor through a largely unused staircase and up to the ledge under where the bell was. He leapt up, snatching the bell from its hanging place and jumping back down just before the six o'clock bell ringer reached the last step into the tower. Even from down on the ledge, Deliylah could hear the man's gasp of astonishment.

While setting down the bell on the ground and drawing the transmutation circle, Alphonse explained what he was doing. "I'm changing the radio into a loudspeaker, since they have similar components and are roughly the same size. Do you know what this bell's made of?"

"Last time I checked, it was iron," Deliylah answered.

"Why do you need to know that," Rose asked.

"Well, alchemy is the basis of understanding, deconstruction, and then reconstruction. If I don't know what the bell is made of, then I can't deconstruct it or reconstruct it into what I need. I also can't make a small object into something big enough to broadcast Ed and Cornello's voices to the whole town. Alchemy is also based on the principle of equivalent exchange." Al explained. Deliylah understood the basics of what he was saying, but Rose seemed confused.

"I can't believe you have to do all that just to perform alchemy…"

"I told you, the foundation of alchemy is the equivalent exchange. 'To obtain, something of equal value must be lost.' People call my brother a genius, but the reason he's so good at alchemy is because he paid the price… and worked so hard."

Rose gave a halfhearted, breathy laugh. "But because you sacrificed so much, you must have been able to bring your mother back…"

If Alphonse had a face, it would have darkened. Despite the fact that he only had a steel helmet for a head, Deliylah could almost see the melancholy, as if he were remembering a horrible old memory. His hands stopped attaching a wire to the now

"The thing we brought back wasn't even human anymore."

Deliylah and Rose gasped. "But that… that's not fair..." Deliylah whispered.

"Life and death are a part of the flow of the world. We've given up on transmuting humans, but my brother still wants to get me my original body. I'd like to make my brother's body the way it was, too. But like I said before, the risks are high. We might even get killed along the way. That's just how it is." He stood up and looked Rose directly in the eyes. "Rose, that's why you can't choose this path."

Both were silent for a moment. Then all three jumped when static came from what was now a speaker. "Yo, Al, if you can hear me, I can hear his footsteps. Get ready."

"Showtime, I guess." He hauled the speaker onto his shoulder as the sound of approaching footsteps came from it.

"You little runt, you're not getting away!" Cornello had obviously been running for some time. He sounded out of breath and flustered.

"Just give up, will you? New of your trickery will spread throughout the the town in no time anyway." Edward sounded almost bored.

"Shut up! Everyone within the church in under my direct control! They'd never believe a stupid follower if she contradicted me, and that Ishvalan brat Deliylah isn't even in the order!" Deliylah gasped in horror, her hands flying to her mouth.

"He just… the microphone's on… he just told the whole town that I'm Ishvalan! I know people who hate Ishvalans, I'll be run out of town for sure!" She collapsed to the ground, her realization running laps in her head.

She thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Cornello laughing madly. "Did you think you could stop my plans so easily!? You underestimated the power or blind faith!"

At these words, Edward started laughing as well. "What? What's so funny?" Cornello obviously had no idea that he was on air.

"This is why I keep saying you're third rate, baldy. Know what this is?"

And then he did.

"You… you couldn't have….. YOU LITTLE RAT!" Deliylah flinched as Cornello screamed into the microphone. By now the entire town was silent, listening to what they had just hear Cornello himself say over the radio. "Ho-How long?! How long has that been on?!"

"The whole time~ You just exposed your entire plan to the entire town. All of your 'mindless fanatics.' So much for blind faith~" He almost seemed to be enjoying tearing Cornello apart.

Suddenly, transmission cut out after loud crashes and something about Cornello wanting to kill Edward were heard before static, saying that either the off button had been pushed, or the wire connecting the speaker had been cut. Sure enough, Alphonse tugged the wire, feeling slack and eventually pulling up a ragged end.

Rose turned to Deliylah. "Are you… are you alright?" She was trembling, and a look of loss adorned her face.

"I don't know… the town will drive me out for sure… somebody will call the military… I can't stay here…."

Her words were cut off by what felt like an earthquake. "What is that?" A shadow fell over them, and Deliylah's question was answered by a huge statue of Leto breaking through the ceiling. She could faintly hear Edward scream "FEEL THE IRON BLOW OF GOD'S WRATH" before another loud crash shook the ground at their feet again.

"We should see if he's alright…" Al commented softly.

When the three got through what was left of the doors, they were greeted with the sight of a large stone fist having apparently punted Cornello to the ground, where he still lay in shock. Where his arm had been before, a twisted form of flesh and metal now came from his shoulder; Deliylah could barely make out fingers from wires.

Sitting off the the side, a rather exasperated looking Edward waved to them with a glum expression on his face.

"Did you get the Stone?"

Ed hung his head. "No… I'm sorry, Alphonse. It shattered as soon as it hit the ground." His voice was sewn with defeat.

"It was a fake?" Alphonse inquired.

Edward nodded. "Yeah, just like him. It was all a waste of time. Just when I thought we were about to get your old body back…"

Alphonse gave a half hearted chuckle. "We need to worry about you first. Automail has a lot of problems."

Edward sighed and stood up. "Well, I guess we'll have to look somewhere else, then. Back on the road…"

His attention was caught by Rose's knees hitting the floor. "But… there must be some mistake, I mean… they told me he would come back to life… they promised me… they said he would come back…" Deliylah crouched by her, placing a hand on her trembling back. "What do I do now? What am I supposed to believe in? Are you going to tell me?" She looked up at Edward. Tears were streaming down her face, dripping from her chin onto the broken stone floor. "Well?! Are you?!," she scream her question, hysteria creeping into her voice.

"You need to figure that on your own." Deliylah glanced up at Edward as he walked by. "Stand up and walk. Keep moving forward. You have two strong legs, so use them."

Deliylah contemplated her options. She could either stay and face ridicule from the town and possibly the military, or she could run, go somewhere else and start a new life with people who either didn't know who she was or didn't care. Her best chance at her second option was walking away. She had a split second decision to make.

And she made it. She stood up and ran towards the boy's retreating forms. "Edward, Alphonse, wait!" They stopped and turned around. She stopped just before them and took a deep breath. "I… I know this isn't really appropriate of me to ask… but is it alright if I traveled with you?" She explained herself when Edward raised an eyebrow. "I don't have anywhere else to go. My lodgings and source of income were provided by the Church. Now that it's been torn apart, I don't have anything. Besides... I'd like to help you complete your goal."

Edward stared at the girl for a moment, wondering whether or not to let her come along. Glancing at his brother, who nodded, he shrugged. "The more the merrier, right? Go get your things and meet us at the train station. We're leaving for Youswell tonight."

Deliylah smiled. "Thank you so much~" She raced off to where what remained of her room was in the broken Church, throwing what she had, her clothes, makeup, and one book, into a suitcase. After thoroughly checking that she had everything she needed, she left a note on her pillow for Rose, telling her where she was. Then she headed out the door for one last time before meeting the brothers at the station.

"You ready? You know you won't be coming back here."

She nodded. "Yes, I've got everything."

He smiled softly. "Alright, lets go, the train's here."

"Ok!"

Meanwhile, in the dark meeting room, a two women, one beautiful and curvy and one thin and wiry, and a rather large man munching on what remained of a chimera waited for one other.

"Do you think he'll be here, Lust?"

"He won't have anywhere else to go but here. Don't worry about it."

"What if he turns his back on us?"

"Then we will have to eliminate him."

"If you say so…"

Lust chuckled softly. "You say that a lot, don't you?"

"Every damn day. You and Envy make all the plans, all I do is worry about them and help carry them out."  
>At that moment, and older and injured man staggered into the room, muttering. A sinister smile played on Lusts full lips.<p>

"I can't believe that runt ruined my plans... I wont allow it… I've invested too much in this to let it fall apart..."

"Really, you were so close, and now everything's ruined." The older man flinched and looked up when Lust spoke.

"Long time no see. Wish it was longer," the second woman jeered.

"You've caused a lot of trouble, Your Holiness."

Cornellos face contorted with anger. Sweat dripped from his chin. "Wh-What is the meaning of this? The Stone you gave me broke into pieces! How dare you give me a fake?!"

Lust scoffed. "Please, like we would give the real thing to someone like you."

"You… You said I could take over the country with the Stone."

"Hm, I did say something like that, didn't I? All we wanted for you was to cause a little trouble in this region. Thats all." She snickered. "What? You look surprised!"

The second woman scoffed. "Did you really think a third-rate despot like you could become ruler of a country? You really are too much!"

The larger man sitting on the ground threw away the chimera leg he was munching on. "Lust, can I eat the old man? He's big and fat!"

"Not this one, Gluttony, we don't want to give you indigestion. If you eat this third-rate… no, this fourth-rate fool…"

Cornello finally had enough and cried out in fury, lunging at the women. "Now you, too? Everybody's mocking me! I won't stand for it, I-"

His sentence was cut off with a spurt of blood. Lusts finger extended into a deadly spear, piercing his forehead and erupting out the other side. "You are no longer of any use~" His eyes rolled back into his head, his entire body twitching oddly.

Lust pulled away, her finger retracting from his skull trailing blood and brain matter. A loud thud echoed in the room as he collapsed to the floor, his face smacking the stone. Lust turned her back, uncaring about the fact that she had just murdered somebody. She then sighed, as if somebody had splashed mud on her boots. "Aww, and things were starting to go so well. Father will be furious. So what should our next plan be?"

The second woman shrugged. "I can call in a favor from our favorite shapeshifter? Nobody saw you kill third-rate here, we can just replace him."

"Whatever you say, Jealousy- _Hey, I thought I told you not to eat that_."

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading! I hope I can update faster next time since midterms are over now.<em>  
><em>Also, new homunculus! I have to admit, I may have made both Jealousy and Deliylah (Dafne at the time) when I was 12, but I recently revamped them. I didn't really have the heart to change Jealousy's name since it really fit her new personality and new history, so I kept it. I also wrote how she became a homunculus, should I post it?<em>


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